Great the Danger When Unseen; Greater When Lost: An Ecocritical Poetic Study of Marine Micro and Nanoplastic Pollution

Abstract

Plastic pollution is a global environmental abyss that has attracted the world’s attention over the last few decades. The problem began with macroplastics accumulating in the landscape and the seascape. However, the current development of plastic pollution is the fragmentation of macroplastics into unseen micro and nanoplastics, particularly in marine environments. These unseen particles are lost because of their higher mobility in tissues and among creatures consuming them. The study tackles marine micro and nanoplastic pollution in selected blue eco-poems to detect the fate of these elements in aquatic systems and the biological harm accompanying this phenomenon. The chosen poets undermine the myth of nature's self-renewal by exposing the irredeemable outbreak of marine plastic pollution. The study is interdisciplinary as it attempts to unveil the potentiality of poetic writing to absorb scientific knowledge and transfer it to the common reader. Furthermore, the argument endeavors to prove how poetry is capable of altering negative attitudes and raising awareness of such a critical issue threatening the ecosystemic equilibrium of Earth. To accomplish both goals, the investigated poems are analyzed literally and scientifically. Then, the need to initiate genuine reforms to the plastics economy worldwide is aroused. These reforms are inevitable to cure the devastating ecological chaos occurring at an alarming speed. Thus, economics is brought to the stage near the end of the study.

Highlights

1. The study bridges the gap between science and literature by showing how blue eco-poetry translates complex data about plastic pollution for the general public.

2. It challenges the myth of oceanic self-renewal, using poetry to expose the permanent damage caused by plastic fragmentation.

3. The research focuses on the unseen danger of micro and nanoplastics by highlighting their high mobility and biological harm within marine food webs.

4. It demonstrates that poetry is a powerful tool for raising environmental awareness and shifting negative human attitudes toward the ecosystem.

5. The article advocates for urgent global reforms in the plastics economy to combat the rapid ecological chaos documented in contemporary poems.